Murder on The Dancefloor | The Mystical Menagerie

The latest show from The Mystical Menagerie was a sexy Cluedo featuring awesome local Brisbane talent. 

Murder on the Dancefloor was a burlesque show with a fun, interactive twist. Before the show began, we were given a piece of paper on which to make our best guess of whom the guilty party was and how they committed the murder. We then witnessed an excellent line-up of local Brisbane performers, with each act containing a weapon as the through line connecting the performances. I really enjoyed this set up for a cabaret show; the theme held the acts nicely together while still allowing the performers to present their own style within the show.

All images: Gabriel Adams Gardner

Every performer brought the high energy and unwavering confidence that makes burlesque such a delightful genre, and they were matched with an excited and appreciative audience. The emcee, Czarny switched between narrator and autopsy reporter, giving a backstory to each of the characters in connection to the victim, and giving clues about how the murder occurred. While sometimes a little hard to hear, Czarny was a charming host and had good rapport with the audience and the performers. 

A stand-out performance in my mind was Ophelia Novak. Performing a wild west inspired burlesque number, complete with cowboy hat and gun, their act was super fun and flirty. They maintained such a strong connection with the audience throughout the whole performance, completely owning the stage. Ophelia has another show, Ensnare Burlesque, at the end of the month for Fringe Brisbane. If this act is anything to go by, it is well worth buying a ticket. 

Mystique Muse (co producer of The Mystical Menagerie along with Runestaff) treated the audience to some intermission vocals, but with a voice like that I think was such a crime to say it was for intermission, as I would consider their performance a feature act in its own right. I would have loved to see more of her.  

Murder on the Dancefloor was a fun night out, and a chance to see a diverse selection of local underground Brisbane artists strut their stuff to an eager crowd.